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What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of men and women aimed at helping those struggling with alcohol addiction. The program is free and meetings are held regularly across Maine.
Chestnut Street Church
17 Chestnut St, Portland, ME 04101
- Monday at 6:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Thursday at 6:30 PM (1 hour, open discussion, women-only group)
- Saturday at 10:30 AM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Sunday at 6:00 PM (1.5 hours, open discussion)
Augusta Two Twelve Club
37 Park St, Augusta, ME 04330
- Monday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Wednesday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Friday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Saturday at 10:00 AM (1 hour, open discussion)
Hammond Street Congregational Church
28 High St, Bangor, ME 04401
- Monday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Wednesday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
- Friday at 12:00 PM (1 hour, open discussion)
The 12 Steps of AA
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) outlines a 12-step program to help members achieve and maintain sobriety. The steps are:
- Admit you are powerless over alcohol and your life has become unmanageable.
- Believe a Power greater than yourself can restore you to sanity.
- Make a decision to turn your will and life over to the care of God as you understand Him.
- Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.
- Admit to God, yourself, and another human being the exact nature of your wrongs.
- Become willing for God to remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly ask Him to remove your shortcomings.
- Make a list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.
- Make direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
- Continue to take personal inventory and promptly admit when you are wrong.
- Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God as you understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry it out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, try to carry this message to other alcoholics and practice these principles in all your affairs.
Getting Started with AA in Maine
Use the meeting search on wfmh.org to find local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in your area of Maine. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across the state.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
Maine has both open and closed AA meetings:
- Open meetings – Anyone can attend, including non-alcoholics. These focus on AA principles and personal stories.
- Closed meetings – Only those with a desire to stop drinking may attend. These involve direct sharing between members.
When attending your first local AA meeting:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself as a new Maine-based member. This allows current members to welcome you.
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable. There is no pressure to share.
You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones. Common Maine AA tags include:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months
- Multiple years
The most important things are attending regularly, participating if willing, avoiding relapse, and supporting fellow members. Meetings help alcoholics support each other in pursuing and maintaining sobriety.